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Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
14 ships, one mole: How a young engineer exposed Indian naval warships' locations to Pakistani operatives
A junior engineer from Thane, Maharashtra, has been arrested for allegedly leaking restricted information about 14 Indian Navy warships and submarines to Pakistani Intelligence Operatives. Ravi Verma, 27, reportedly shared the data through sketches, audio notes, and chats, after being honey-trapped online. Maharashtra ATS discovered detailed exchanges, including sensitive diagrams and a voice message, confirming Verma's direct knowledge and involvement. Investigations continue into a wider espionage network involving foreign handlers and possible blackmail. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Recruited through romance: Online honeytrap uncovered Diagrams, audio notes, and A diary of secrets Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Romantic trap or deliberate betrayal? A junior defence contractor has been arrested for leaking restricted information on Indian Navy warships and submarines to suspected Pakistani intelligence agents . Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) revealed that 27-year-old Ravindra Muralidhar Verma shared operational details of 14 naval vessels, compromising national security. Five of those details were confirmed to be accurate and classified, according to the Indian Navy's was arrested on Wednesday by the Thane unit of the ATS. He had been working with Krasni Defence Technology Pvt. Ltd., a Mumbai-based firm that handles repairs for key defence establishments including the Naval Dockyard, Mazagon Dock, and the Indian Coast Guard. His role in the firm's electrical department gave him access to restricted naval sites across say Verma was drawn into the espionage ring after receiving friend requests on Facebook in 2024 from accounts named "Payal Sharma" and "Ishpreet". These profiles, operated by suspected Pakistani agents, initiated contact by claiming to be Indian women involved in naval research. Within weeks, the conversations became personal. One of the women, using the alias 'Priti Jaiswal', later moved the communication to allegedly began sharing information in return for emotional validation and money. A senior ATS officer said, 'He was very much aware of what he was doing and to whom he was passing on the sensitive information. He was getting money in exchange for providing the information.'Despite strict protocols barring phones inside naval sites, Verma found ways around the rules. Police said he memorised details while working and recreated them later as sketches, diagrams, or audio messages which were then sent to his foreign handlers via WhatsApp and social media. One audio message dated 11 March 2025, retrieved from his phone, had Verma reporting:"Sir kuch reply nahi de rahe, unka net shayd se band hai. Uno ye aaj ka update de dena. Aaj mein roundup pe gaya tha. So sari sari ship dekhi hai? Vo sari meine diary mein karke tumko kiya ki hai, Aur sir ko bhi kiya hai, par wo online nahi hai."He confirmed to his handler that he had inspected ships that day, logged the details in his diary, and forwarded them both to the handler and a person referred to only as 'Sir'.The next day, 12 March, Verma photographed a notebook page listing the names and locations of 14 naval warships. This image was later found in a folder on his phone and was allegedly sent to his foreign handler. Naval authorities have confirmed that at least five of the ships listed were real and their positions classified as restricted ATS said Verma had been communicating with multiple handlers disguised as 'college friends' of Priti and Ishpreet. Forensic analysis retrieved messages, diagrams, videos, and audio files sent over months of interaction. The chats had been deliberately archived by Verma, possibly to avoid mother, Rekha, has insisted her son was manipulated and emotionally exploited. 'Yes, Ravi spoke to someone on Facebook, but the woman trapped my son,' she said. 'He is my only support.' She claimed he had told her about 'bad women' online and expressed a desire to delete his Facebook account.A case has been registered against Verma, 'Priti Jaiswal', and the unnamed 'Sir' under the Official Secrets Act , 1923, and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Investigators are also looking into whether Verma was blackmailed or financially coerced after initial sources said Verma had received funds from multiple accounts, both Indian and foreign. The ATS is verifying these transactions and tracking whether others in the company's network might have been similarly has been remanded to ATS custody until Monday. Authorities are continuing to analyse data from his devices and social media accounts to map the extent of the leak and trace the identities of the operatives involved. The ATS has not ruled out the involvement of a broader spy ring.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
ATS arrests Thane resident for sharing confidential information to Pakistani operative
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) arrested a 27-year-old man allegedly sharing vital information about several important government establishments in India with a Pakistani intelligence operative (PIO) through WhatsApp between November 2024 and March 2025. The police also booked three of his accomplices who have not yet been identified. According to the police Ravi Verma, a resident of Kalwa, worked at a private firm in Navi Mumbai that provides maintenance services to government defence companies. His interrogation revealed that he had met the PIO through Facebook in November 2024, and then shared confidential information through WhatsApp for about five months. The ATS has registered a case against Verma and two of his accomplices under sections 3(1)(b) (making a sketch, plan, model, or note, calculated to be useful to the enemy) and 5(a) (wrongful communication of secret information) of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 and section 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Indian Express
Engineer working for defence firm honeytrapped, held for passing sensitive info to Pak operative
THE MAHARASHTRA Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Thursday arrested a 27-year-old engineer from Thane for allegedly passing on sensitive documents related to the Indian Naval dockyard to a Pakistan Intelligence Operative (PIO) through social media. An official said it was a case of honeytrap where the accused, identified as Ravi Verma who was working with a private defence technology company, was contacted by a woman on social media, who eventually lured him into handing over sensitive documents of the naval dockyard that he had access to. An official said based on their investigation, Verma, who was working for the Navi Mumbai-based defence company, was contacted by a PIO on Facebook through a woman's profile. The woman spoke to him via social media and later exchanged phone numbers. The accused then passed on some documents that he had access to the PIO through Whatsapp. 'From Mid November 2024 to March 2025, the accused sent various documents of restricted areas in the Indian Navy dockyard that he had access to through the company where he was working,' the official added. 'The Thane ATS had him on their radar for some time and eventually we called him for questioning earlier this week. Based on his interrogation and technical proofs we got from his mobile phone, he was placed under arrest,' the official added The accused was produced before a court and sent to police custody till June 2. Police are on the lookout for two others who have been named as accused in the matter.
